Do Good

There's a new segment on CNN that was begun back in April called CNN Heroes. It profiles people across the world who are doing amazing things to uplift, inspire, protect, and/or advocate for those around them. It was launched back in April, and I have seen at least two stories so far that hit my heart.

The first was about this week's hero: Shada Nasser. Nasser is a lawyer in Yemen who took on a case on behalf of a young girl who was married off to a man who then severely mistreated her.
Per Yemeni law, it is legal for girls to marry before 18, and many brides are as young as 8 or 10 years old. The expectation is that no sexual contact will be initiated with the young brides until they reach 18 years of age; however, that norm is often not followed.

Nasser's work began with a young girl who was married off at the age of 10 to a man 30 years of age. As his sexual advances became violent and forced, the young girl sought help and found Nasser, who took on her case free of charge. Nasser worked to secure a divorce for the young girl, and was able to raise the $200 owed to the husband through donations. The case led to questioning of and debate about the practice of marrying off underage girls, and Nasser is hoping the law will eventually be changed for good.

The second was about Viola Vaughn, an American woman who became the guardian for her grandchildren upon her daughter's early death at the age of 28. Vaughn moved the family to Africa, where she had previously worked, and unexpectedly lost her husband shortly thereafter. She found purpose and peace by focusing on home-schooling her grandchildren... and word spread around their small village she was teaching young girls.

Girls began showing up at her doorstep, and she gradually welcomed more and more in (with the consent of their parents). Many had been removed from school due to failing grades and written off by their villages as being unteachable or too dumb to receive an education. Instead, Vaughn found that societal and economic expectations requiring the girls to work from home prevented them from regularly attending school, which eventually affected their grades so much they were unable to keep pace with the rest of the class.

She now teaches girls in order to augment their regular education and helps them stay on track despite their work schedules. Her school has grown to 1,500 girls (in multiple locations), and she and her students hope one day to reach 10,000 students.

Service is a prevelent theme among many religions of the world and is certainly a very important aspect of Unitarian Universalism. Sometimes, when we begin to serve or find some way through which we can aid others, it seems like a small step... a tiny reaching out that has no greater impact than doing what seems obvious or what comes naturally. We do not imagine ourselves heroes and we do not expect to change the world.

Yet, even in the smallest acts of kindness and selflessness, there is a significant impact because even the tiniest acts can results in consequences we may never see but by which the world is made better. And as if so often the case with true heroes... these amazing contributions began with one small step... one child... one offer to help... one act of reaching out. And the ripples then spread beyond that person's wildest imaginings.